Folk stories and tales

One day a man named Mauro appeared on the mount Vesuvius, he had a face as black as night and asked the magic of the volcano to be transformed into a normal man.

His prayer was answered. Suddenly an angel appeared who took him into the crater and blowing onto his face made his kin white like snow.

So the two craters were called Angelo and Mauro.

But not all the volcano stories end well: when a wicked monk invoked Vesuvius asking for help to implement his bad design, the mountain was angry hunting from the crater a pillar of fire and sending down a magical horse with flame eyes and a snake mane.

The animal chased the monk and when he was reached, the horse clapped with its socket on the ground which opened swallowing the evil man.

At the beautiful balustrades of the staircase in palace Spinelli Laurino, located in Via dei Tribunali, some people swear having often seen the ghost of the beautiful Bianca.

Being an orphan, Bianca grew up in the halls of the palace and was assigned as a bridesmaid to Lorenza Spinelli, daughter-in-law of the Prince. This lady was as much a wicked as an overpowering woman, so her husband, just to stay away from her for some time, decided to go to war.

As he came into his wife’s rooms to greet her, as usual he was answered rudely. Annoyed, the husband turned away to leave, but at that same moment his look met, in the mirror, the sad and sorrow look of the good and lovely Bianca who was combing the lady, sorry for what had happened.

It was a completely innocent look, but the wicked lady, whom that eyes understanding did not escape to, thought otherwise.

The husband was still down on the road, when she ushered Bianca into a small compartment of the wall in her room and made build a brick wall in front of it.

The poor girl could not defend herself in any way, she only said: “Let me entomb alive, but in gladness or greatness you’ll see me again.” It is said, in fact, that her ghost appeared very often in that palace to one or another Spinelli, always three days before the family happened to have a happy occasion or a misfortune.

Not far from the catacombs of San Gennaro in Capodimonte there was a tavern. One evening two travellers arrived near that crossing.

Chatting with a beautiful girl who served them, they began to speak about the dead and their appearances; the girl said she felt no fear, so much so – she said – while no one was going at that hour to draw water from the near wood, because it was necessary to pass in front of the cemetery, she would have gone immediately.

Saying and doing was one matter, she took the bucket and went. Passing by the entrance of the caves, she saw in the middle, sitting on a tombstone, an old man with a long white beard, with a red cap on his head.

She mistook him for the groom of the tavern, she came near him and took the cap from his head, saying: “I will give it back to you, later at home.” Returning, she learned that the groom had never moved, and in fact, he had a red hat on his head.

At night the girl got into her room, bringing with her the cap of the mysterious old man; at midnight she heard a knock at the door and weak voice said: “Give me my cap, give me my cap.” The young girl opened, but saw no one, then she tried to throw the red cat out of the window, but it always came back.

For many nights the spirit came back to knock on the room and finally the girl went to confide in the parish priest, who decided to make a big procession.

The evening of the dead in fact, a great procession composed by the people of the neighboring houses, with crosses, images of saints and candles went to the catacombs of San Gennaro.

The old man was sitting on the tombstone bareheaded. Among smoking incense, to the sound of hymns, the brave girl approached him, and put on his head the much desired red cap.

The tombstone cover then crashed open with a thunderclap and the man sank there.

In 1500 there was in Naples, on Ottocalli Square, a church dedicated to Saints John and Paul. The road was wide and free of buildings or houses.

In the middle of the road and right in front of the church, there was a marble column, whose meaning or origin nobody kew.

A meaning, however, was found by the locals, who, supported by the parish priest, attributed to the column a special power: the one of causing rain or fine weather depending on the needs and demands of the people.

A superstition, but it went on for quite a while, till Archbishop Annibale of Capua banned it with a measure of 1590 and made even demolish and remove the column, so preventing any possibility of revival of the incredible superstition.

This is the custom of the Neapolitans. When farmers wanted some sun for their fields and the weather, however, was not fine, they went to the pastor of the church of St. John and Paul and asked him to organize a votive procession for obtaining a grace from heaven.

Then the pastor with all his followers and citizens, ran from the right side around the column and stopped there to pray. Shortly after that, the sky got clear, the clouds disappeared and a bright sun was shining in the sky with great joy of the Neapolitans.

If the request was for rain, being too hot and crops ruined, the procession moved to the opposite direction, going around from the left side at the sea side, they told the planned prayer, and soon after it was pouring.

King Constantine was returning to Rome with her daughter Constance and niece Patrizia, when his ship was hit by a violent storm.

Then the king promised to God that, if they would have been saved from the drowing, he would build a church in Naples to St. John the Baptist.

The two women instead, prayed St. Lucia to be rescued from the danger and to let the ship return into the harbour without accidents.

With the prayers the young Constance made a solemn vow to the saint, whom she was devoted to: if they were returned without danger, she would give an amount of moeny for the construction of the church wanted by her father.

God heard their prayers and made them land in Naples safely.

King Constantine and his daughter Constance immediately started works to keep the promise and vow. The church was later enriched with paintings and precious objects and became the center of cult for St. John and St. Lucia in June and December.

The church of San Giovanni Maggiore is located in the historic center of Naples, among the four largest parishes in the city. It was built in the place of a pagan temple dedicated to Antinous by Emperor Hadrian.

It underwent many modifications and restorations, and in 1685 it assumed the final form.

In the struggle between Aragon and Anjou he chose the Anjous and sided with the defeated King René.

Master Francis (that was his name) was considered a popular leader and never missed an opportunity to speak ill of the Spaniards and he kept defending the French. He hated so much Alfonse that he did not bother to show it publicly.

All this was reported to the king who, for his knowledge and for his own fun, wanted to personally hear the tailor’s insults. He decided to go out riding among the people, turning through the streets of the city, where he happened to get near Master Francis, who never tired of insulting him.

Alfonse, knowing it was the tailor, listened to him carefully and he heard what the man was saying as he passed by: “And how good you are on horseback,” he said by a little high voice. “How much pride and arrogance you have. You’ll see, that will not last long, because King René is going to come and he will chase you.”

After this episode, the King sent for Master Francesco. The tailor, who perhaps was better in talking than in acting, began to tremble with fear.

He foresaw hanging from a rope in the public square, so he thought of making a will and he entrusted to his wife, his children and all his belongings.

He went to the palace where he was received with courtesy, with bows and kindness by dignitaries and officials. Then, when he came before the king, he was even more surprised by the welcome and kindness the King showed him .

“I will use your art,” Alfonse said, “and your services, because I know how much you are bound to me and how you speak well of me.”

Francis at these words was frightened, even more believing that the King wanted to make fun of him before sentencing him to death.

Alfonse continued by that tone and before letting him go away, he gave him a bag of gold crowns for his family and its needs. Still stunned Francis went home, told everything to his wife, praising the Spanish King and totally modifying his previous opinion about the King.

This is just one of the episodes passed on Alfonse of Aragon.

It seems that he was a benevolent Sovereing with the Neapolitans: a strategy designed especially with the purpose of not increasing the love they felt for the French.

It is said that after an eruption of Vesuvius, having filled by lava the big ditch, in a night of November a harrowing and inhuman scream woke up all inhabitants in the area.

The scream was heard even in the following nights creating terror among the people.

Peasants armed themselves with rifles and pruning hooks and left for a dawn patrol in search of the origin of that scary scream. They beat the ground inch by inch, but found nothing.

No one could give an explanation and they were all afraid.

So it happened, while they were wondering what to do, that some people suggested to contact the “the old Mattavona”, a witch who lived on the slopes of Vesuvius.

Having said that, the farmers went in procession to the beldame. The old woman went to the place and uttered some incomprehensible magic formulas. Since then the scream was gone and the farmers went back to sleep at night.

You will see, below, the mountain Somma, which was formerly called Vesuvius.

He was a gentleman from Naples, who fell in love, unfortunately, with a lady from the house Capri which, at that time, was a noble House.

And, as the relatives did not agree to their love, the more they loved each other, the more they saw their intentions disappointed. Indeed the relatives sent the lady to stay away, at Cape Minerva.

Where, being unable to see her lover, one day when the lady went for a trip in a boat, she jumped into the sea, and she became an island, which is still called Capri.

Vesuvius, having received the news, began to throw sighs of fire, which gradually became a mountain, which is called Somma, and as he always sees his lover, even if it is a mountain, he’s burning with love and throws fire: and when he goes into a rage, he shakes the city of Naples which repents, but uselessly, as the city didn’t give him what he wanted.

How many adventures and of how many different kinds often happen on Vesuvius!

It is said, as two Englishmen, a gentleman and a young lady, together agreed to eternalize their love on the top of our mountain.

In front of the steaming crater they renewed their oaths of constancy and fidelity, and calling witnesses the elements, they promised each other, that if any of them had been betrayed, the one would have thrown himself into the roaring crater.

But one year was not over, that the fair lady gave her hand to a rich Neapolitan gentleman and the betrayed lover in despair rushed … into the chasms of business and went to marry a banker’s daughter, who swore less, but had more value

Vesuvius willingly gave up his victim, from which we can argue that man (taken in its broadest sense) in England or elsewhere is always the same.